FIRST ON FOX: A conservative legal group is putting "sanctuary" jurisdictions across the U.S. on notice ahead of an expected mass deportation by the incoming Trump administration.

America First Legal says it has notified nearly 250 officials in jurisdictions which limit or forbid local law enforcement cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that there could be legal consequences for interfering with the feds or for concealing illegal immigrants.

President-elect Trump has promised to launch a "historic" deportation campaign when in office, and his transition team has already been making concrete steps towards that goal. America First Legal’s president is Stephen Miller, who will serve as deputy chief of staff for policy in the Trump White House.

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But a number of Democratic officials in states including in Arizona, Colorado, California and Massachusetts have said they will not cooperate with the operation. Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, has hinted there could be legal consequences for those who get in the way of the operation.

Proponents of sanctuary policies argue that local jurisdictions cannot be compelled to assist the government, and that barring ICE cooperation encourages otherwise law-abiding illegal immigrants to work with police and report crimes, making the area safer. Opponents say that policies result in the release of otherwise-deportable criminals back onto the streets.

AFL’s notice letter to the 249 officials says that the federal government has ultimate authority over immigration, and points to clauses in federal law that prohibit state and local governments from restricting communications with DHS about immigration status, and that make concealing, harboring or shielding an illegal immigrant a federal crime.

The group argues that sanctuary policies can therefore lead to criminal liability, and that victims of illegal immigrant crime may be able to sue for damages.

"We have identified your jurisdiction as a sanctuary jurisdiction that is violating federal law. Such lawlessness subjects you and your subordinates to significant risk of criminal and civil liability. Accordingly, we are sending this letter to put you on notice of this risk and insist that you comply with our nation’s laws," the letter says.

The group is also launching a new website that gives users a map of "sanctuary strongholds," identifying jurisdictions with sanctuary policies and giving contact information for elected officials.

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The group also announced that it has also filed a petition with the DOJ’s Office of Violence Against Women to seek data on citizenship status and nationality information against those charged with a slew of crimes against women and children, including domestic violence, murder and child maltreatment. In addition, it is filing requests to officials, including mayors and governors, across the U.S. for information on organizations it believes are undermining federal immigration enforcement.

In a statement, America First Legal's Senior Vice President Reed D. Rubenstein pointed to the recent arrest of an illegal immigrant in New York City in connection with the death of a woman who was set on fire and burned to death as "another reminder that open borders and sanctuary jurisdictions are sheer insanity."

"The left-wing politicians who create and run them, and those who support them, put our citizens at risk, undermine our Constitution, and dangerously erode the rule of law. America First Legal will continue working tirelessly to protect our immigration laws and support the brave men and women who enforce them. Today’s actions are but a first step in our fight against sanctuary lawlessness," Rubenstein said.

The new announcements shine a spotlight on what could be a fierce fight between the Trump administration, and its allies, and Democrats and left-wing activists over the deportation push and the extent to which it can be resisted at state and local level.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

Some have doubled down on their opposition, with the Boston City Council recently voting to limit ICE cooperation and to ban police from keeping migrants in custody for possible deportation unless there is a criminal warrant.

The resolution adopted by the council states that "proposals for mass deportations represent a direct attack on Boston’s immigrant families, and threaten to tear communities apart."

Some Democratic officials, however, have indicated their willingness to work with the incoming administration. Homan met with New York City Mayor Eric Adams last week to discuss areas of potential cooperation, including the deportation of violent illegal immigrant criminals. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker also said he wanted to see "violent criminals who are undocumented and convicted of violent crime" deported, and said he would welcome a meeting with Homan.

Fox News reported this month on new data provided to Congress that showed there are 1.4 million noncitizens who have deportation orders but are not currently in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention.

FIRST ON FOX: Two top aides to President-elect Donald Trump are joining a key outside group ahead of his second term, as the organization preps to garner public support for his MAGA agenda. 

One of Trump's campaign managers in the 2024 election, Chris LaCivita, along with his campaign's chief pollster Tony Fabrizio are joining 501c4 Building America’s Future (BAF) as senior advisers. 

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"We are pleased to be joining BAF who in the 2024 cycle was a valuable and key ally in promoting President Trump’s agenda and his candidacy," LaCivita and Fabrizio said in a statement. "We look forward to helping guide BAF and their efforts to promote President Trump’s America First agenda so their efforts compliment and augment the President’s team’s efforts." 

The two will provide strategic counsel to the group as it looks to energize support for Trump's policy proposals during his presidency. 

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BAF led a $45 million effort during the election to support Trump and his campaign against Vice President Kamala Harris. The group has already signaled its intention to continue promoting Trump and his administration past the election, debuting an ad campaign in support of Pete Hegseth, Trump's choice to lead the Department of Defense. 

The group will take an active role, energizing the public in support of Trump's policy priorities as he enters his second term. 

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This comes as Republicans prepare to use the budget reconciliation process to pass key Trump items such as his economic and tax agenda as well as some elements of border security. By using this process, Republicans only need a simple majority in the Senate, rather than 60 votes to beat the legislative filibuster.

However, nearly all Republicans will need to be on board, as the party only has 53 seats in the new Senate. 

By ramping up public support for Trump's priorities, Republicans may feel some pressure to get behind certain items. 

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Other legislation is still expected to face an uphill battle due to the filibuster, but BAF's work to build public support for Trump's agenda could also pressure Democrats to join their Republican counterparts, particularly those who are up for re-election in 2026 in red or purple states. 

Trump's other co-campaign manager, Susie Wiles, was named as his White House chief of staff pick shortly after he was elected. 

The inmates on federal death row whose lives were spared by President Biden after he commuted their sentences have killed victims across all facets of American society, ranging from a sailor to children as young as 8 years old. 

Biden announced Monday that he commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 inmates on federal death row to life in prison without the possibility of parole because he is "more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level." 

"Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss," Biden added. "In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted." 

Among those who have been spared are Jorge Avila-Torrez, a Marine veteran found guilty of killing Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Amanda Snell inside of her barracks in Arlington, Virginia, in July 2009.  

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Federal prosecutors said Avila-Torrez confessed to an inmate that he "entered Snell’s room through her unlocked door, jumped on her as she slept in her bed, bound her wrists with the power cord from her laptop computer and strangled her with the rest of the cord." 

Then years later, Avila-Torrez pleaded guilty to stabbing 8-year-old Laura Hobbs and 9-year-old Krystal Tobias to death on Mother’s Day 2005 in Zion, Illinois, and was told by a judge that he was a "serial killer," according to The Associated Press. 

Another inmate spared by Biden is Daryl Lawrence, who was convicted of killing Columbus Police Officer Bryan Hurst in 2005. 

The Justice Department, which posthumously awarded Hurst the Medal of Valor, said he was working uniformed special duty at a bank when a masked gunman entered and the two exchanged fire. 

"In spite of receiving a mortal wound, Hurst maneuvered around the counter and fired at the suspect before he collapsed. Authorities apprehended the gunman several days later when he sought medical attention at a hospital in Washington, D.C.," it added. "Officer Hurst's quick action, exceptional courage, and persistence protected the lives of the many people at the bank." 

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Thomas Sanders also will no longer face the federal death penalty despite being found guilty for the "brutal kidnapping and murder" of 12-year-old Lexis Roberts in 2010. 

In that case, prosecutors said Sanders was dating Roberts’ mother Suellen Roberts, whom he fatally shot in the head near Interstate 40 in Arizona during a trip to a wildlife park near the Grand Canyon over Labor Day weekend. He then forced Lexis into a vehicle and held her captive as he traveled east. 

"Sanders drove several days across the country before he murdered Lexis Roberts in a wooded area in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana," the Justice Department said. "Evidence at trial established that Sanders shot Lexis Roberts four times, cut her throat, and left her body in the woods where a hunter found her body on October 8, 2010." 

Other inmates who were once on federal death row include Alejandro Umana, an MS-13 gang member who fatally shot brothers Ruben and Manuel Garcia Salinas at a restaurant in Greensboro, North Carolina, in December 2007 "after they ‘disrespected’ his gang signs by calling them ‘fake,’" according to federal prosecutors.  

Anthony Battle, who killed prison guard D’Antonio Andrew Washington with a ball-peen hammer inside a maximum-security unit at an Atlanta facility in 1994, has been spared as well. 

Amnesty International USA, a supporter of Biden’s decision, said Monday that the "death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment" and Biden’s move is "a big moment for human rights." 

"With a stroke of his pen, the President locks in his legacy as a leader who stands for racial justice, humanity, and morality," added Anthony Romero, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union. "This will undoubtedly be one of the seminal achievements of the Biden presidency." 

President Biden is increasing the United States' emissions reduction goal for the next decade, but the green energy push could be hindered by the incoming administration under President-elect Trump.

In 2021, Biden set a climate target for the U.S. to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50-52% from 2005 levels by 2030.

However, under the Paris climate agreement, which the U.S. is currently enrolled in, each country is required to submit their contribution to reducing global emissions every five years under the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

In his final contribution to the global climate change agreement under the NDC, Biden on Thursday set a new goal to reduce even more emissions within the next decade – but Trump has suggested initiating a potential withdrawal from the global climate treaty.

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Biden's new target, which was formally submitted to the United Nations Climate Change secretariat, seeks to reduce emissions 61-66% by 2035.

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During his campaign, Trump told Politico that he would be in favor of withdrawing from the treaty when he assumes office, which could impact the new climate goal.

The Paris climate agreement was established at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in 2015 as a legally binding treaty among nearly 195 parties committed to international cooperation on climate change. 

The U.S. first entered into the agreement under former President Barack Obama in 2016, but was withdrawn under Trump in 2020.

If Trump chooses to withdraw from the agreement a second time, it could occur at a faster pace than the first.

Trump also has the option to submit the treaty to the Senate for advice and consent, which would require a two-thirds vote for the U.S. to rejoin the climate agreement – creating a potential hurdle for future administrations seeking to reenter the accord.

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., allegedly paid multiple women for sex, including a 17-year-old high school girl, and used illicit drugs like cocaine and ecstasy, according to a House Ethics Committee report.

The 37-page report released Monday morning concluded that Gaetz violated multiple Florida state laws related to sexual misconduct while in office.

"The Committee concluded there was substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, acceptance of impermissible gifts, the provision of special favors and privileges, and obstruction of Congress," the report states.

Gaetz has consistently denied any accusations of wrongdoing, and an earlier federal investigation into the allegations ended without charges against him. Earlier Monday, Gaetz filed a lawsuit in an attempt to block the release of the report.

MATT GAETZ REPORT BY HOUSE ETHICS COMMITTEE TO BE RELEASED

The committee's report stated that Gaetz "continuously sought to deflect, deter, or mislead the Committee in order to prevent his actions from being exposed."

The report alleges that despite Gaetz’s denials, he made tens of thousands of dollars in payments to women "likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use" from 2017 to 2020.

In one alleged sexual encounter, Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old minor at a summer 2017 party, according to the committee’s report. The report concluded that the act violated Florida’s statutory rape law even though the girl, identified in the report as "Victim A," said she never told Gaetz her age.

"The Committee received testimony that Victim A and Representative Gaetz had sex twice during the party, including at least once in the presence of other party attendees," the draft report alleged. 

The 17-year-old girl claimed to have received $400 in cash from Gaetz, "which she understood to be payment for sex," according to the report. She said she was under the influence of ectasy at the time of the sexual encounter, while alleging that she saw Gaetz use cocaine.

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The committee’s report stated that it did not receive any evidence indicating Gaetz was aware the girl was a minor when he allegedly had sex with her.

The report also alleges Gaetz refused to comply with a subpoena demanding an interview and "intentionally withheld information" about a trip to the Bahamas with women.

The committee said it obtained text messages Gaetz allegedly sent to women, asking them to bring drugs "to their rendezvous," referring to drugs as "party favors," "rolls" or "vitamins."

In interviews with the committee, witnesses said they observed Gaetz using marijuana, the report states.

The House Ethics Committee's multi-year investigation into Gaetz, involving allegations of sex with a minor and illicit drug use, came to an abrupt halt last month after he resigned from Congress hours after President-elect Trump tapped him to be his attorney general. 

Gaetz later dropped out of consideration for the post amid quiet but steady GOP opposition.

The House Ethics Committee lost its jurisdiction to continue its investigation into the accusations against Gaetz after his resignation from Congress. While the committee "has typically not released its findings after losing jurisdiction in a matter," as noted in the report, a majority of committee members determined that the findings should be released as they  were in the public interest.

Gaetz had filed a lawsuit on Monday in an attempt to block the release of the committee's report.

The Biden administration has lifted a $10 million bounty on the head of Ahmed al-Sharaa, leader of the group that overthrew Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

In exchange, al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, agreed to a U.S. demand not to allow terrorism groups in Syria to threaten the U.S. or Syria’s neighbors. 

"We had a good, thoroughgoing discussion on a range of regional issues," Barbara Leaf, the U.S.’s top envoy to the Middle East, told reporters of her Friday meeting with al-Sharaa. 

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) drove Assad out of Damascus earlier this month. While other rebel factions remain throughout the country, HTS has amassed control over much of Syria. 

HTS was founded as an offshoot of al Qaeda but broke away from the group in 2016. It evolved from the Nusrah Front, which was designated as a terrorist group in 2012, and in 2018 the U.S. added HTS’ terrorism designation. 

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"It was a policy decision… aligned with the fact that we are beginning a discussion with HTS," Leaf explained. 

"So if I’m sitting with the HTS leader and having a lengthy detailed discussion about the interests of the US, interests of Syria, maybe interests of the region, it's suffice to say a little incoherent then to have a bounty on the guy’s head."

The group has been trying to shake its extremist reputation and the designation, with al-Sharaa claiming he does not want Syria to become the next Afghanistan and he believes in education for women.

"We've had universities in Idlib for more than eight years," Sharaa told BBC, referring to Syria's northwestern province that HTS has held since 2011. 

"I think the percentage of women in universities is more than 60%." 

"He came across as pragmatic," Leaf said. "It was a good first meeting. We will judge by deeds, not just by words."

U.S. officials have visited Syria to push for a pragmatic government and to find information on the whereabouts of detained U.S. journalist Austin Tice. 

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The U.S. has had a mixed relationship with HTS due to its militant Islamist roots. 

Al-Sharaa has said HTS is not a terrorist group because it does not target civilians or civilian areas, and they consider themselves to be the victims of the crime of Assad's regime. 

The U.S. has launched an aggressive campaign of airstrikes in northeastern Syria to take out ISIS militants, fearing a resurgence amid the upheaval in Syria which could lead to the release of more than 8,000 IS prisoners, "a significant security concern," according to the Pentagon.

The Pentagon revealed on Thursday that the U.S. doubled the number of its forces from 900 to roughly 2,000 to fight IS before Assad’s fall. 

A leading progressive House Democrat is commending President Biden's sweeping commutation order for people on the federal death row, calling the death penalty itself "racist."

"The President’s decision to commute the death sentences of 37 individuals on federal death row is a historic and groundbreaking act of compassion that will save lives, address the deep racial disparities in our criminal legal system, and send a powerful message about redemption, decency, and humanity," Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., said in a statement on Monday.

"The death penalty is a racist, flawed, and fundamentally unjust punishment that has no place in any society."

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Pressley argued the death penalty has overwhelmingly targeted Black and Brown communities "and failed to make America any safer."

The Massachusetts lawmaker, a member of the hardline-left group of House Democrats dubbed the "Squad," has been on the forefront of the progressive push to abolish the death penalty.

Biden's clemency order affects nearly everyone on the federal death row in the United States.

 Just three of 40 inmates remain – Dylann Roof, who murdered nine people at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina in 2015; Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was found guilty for carrying out the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing; and Robert Bowers, who killed 11 worshipers at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue in 2018.

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Among those whose sentences were commuted to life imprisonment are Thomas Sanders, who kidnapped and killed a 12-year-old girl; Jorge Avila-Torrez, who sexually assaulted and stabbed two young girls to death and strangled a 20-year-old female Naval officer four years later; and Anthony Battle, who murdered an Atlanta prison guard with a hammer 30 years ago.

Democrats had been mounting pressure on Biden to use his clemency powers after the controversial and broad pardon he granted to his son, Hunter Biden, just weeks before he was expected to be sentenced on federal gun charges.

Biden heeded that pressure earlier this month when he commuted the sentences of roughly 1,500 Americans in the largest such single-day order. 

It comes as President-elect Trump has touted plans for months to expand the death penalty to drug traffickers, child rapists and illegal immigrants who kill U.S. citizens.

At the tail end of his first term, Trump's Department of Justice (DOJ) performed the first federal executions in 20 years, carrying out sentences for 13 federal prisoners on death row.

BIDEN COMMUTES 1,500 JAIL SENTENCES, GRANTS PARDONS FOR 39 OTHERS: 'LARGEST SINGLE-DAY GRANT OF CLEMENCY'

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Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., a top Trump ally, blasted Biden for his order on Monday.

"Once again, Democrats side with depraved criminals over their victims, public order, and common decency," Cotton wrote on X.

"Democrats can’t even defend Biden’s outrageous decision as some kind of principled, across-the-board opposition to the death penalty since he didn’t commute the three most politically toxic cases. Democrats are the party of politically convenient justice."

The deputy PM said the UK was "quibbling" over the sum to be handed over to Mauritius.

Lord Peter Mandelson will be the UK's next ambassador to the US, an appointment he describes as "a great honour".

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., is suing to block the release of a House Ethics Committee report on his alleged behavior.

In a complaint filed in federal district court in Washington, D.C., the Republican's attorneys maintain Gaetz's innocence, say that the conduct detailed in the report is untrue, and claim the committee does not have jurisdiction over him because he is no longer in office.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

In a call, the leaders agree to refine the UK's training programme to "bolster" Ukraine's defence.

Planned legal changes will see three neonicotinoid pesticides completely banned from any future use.

EXCLUSIVE: House China Committee Chairman John Moolenaar told Fox News Digital that President-elect Donald Trump is the "perfect leader" to negotiate and deliver the "deal of the century" to keep TikTok available in the U.S.

The Supreme Court is expected to hear oral arguments on Jan. 10, 2025 on the law that requires a divestment of TikTok from foreign adversary control. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a company based in Beijing and connected to the Chinese Communist Party. 

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That legislation, which was signed into law in the spring, requires a sale of TikTok from ByteDance by Jan. 19. If ByteDance does not divest by the deadline, Google and Apple are no longer able to feature TikTok in their app stores in the U.S.

Supreme Court Justices said they will hold a special session on Jan. 10 to hear oral arguments in the case -- an expedited timeline that will allow them to consider the case just nine days before the Jan. 19 ban is slated to take effect. The law allows the president to extend the deadline by up to 90 days if ByteDance is in the process of divesting. 

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Moolenaar, R-Mich., said he has been meeting with top investors, and that he has "full confidence" that Trump "will be able to make a great deal for America." 

"It will be the deal of the century," Moolenaar said, noting that the divestment "could happen in phases." 

"First with a buyout and then a massive IPO—probably the largest IPO in history," he said. "And I believe President Trump is the perfect leader to negotiate and deliver this win." 

He added: "President Trump has the opportunity to make the deal of the century because of the leverage of the TikTok legislation passed by Congress." 

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Moolenaar predicted that the sale of TikTok could be completed quickly after it exhausts its appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court decides the case. He said a "massive" IPO could occur "later, as one piece of the solution." 

"I think TikTok and ByteDance have been dragging their feet," Moolenaar said. "Once they realize they’re required to follow U.S. law, I believe this will move forward fairly quickly." 

TikTok and ByteDance filed an emergency application to the high court earlier this month asking justices to temporarily block the law from being enforced while it appealed a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. 

Lawyers for TikTok have argued that the law passed earlier this year is a First Amendment violation, noting in their Supreme Court request that "Congress's unprecedented attempt to single out applicants and bar them from operating one of the most significant speech platforms in this nation" and "presents grave constitutional problems that this court likely will not allow to stand."

But Moolenaar warned that without divestment, the CCP could attempt to "manipulate perceptions in the United States," and said they have "access to Americans’ data" through TikTok. 

"It is very profitable, very popular, and it is a major inroad for the CCP to influence American culture," said Moolenaar.

But as for CCP access to the data of U.S. citizens, TikTok created its "Project Texas" initiative, which is dedicated to addressing concerns about U.S. national security. 

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew says "Project Texas" creates a stand-alone version of the TikTok platform for the U.S. isolated on servers in Oracle’s U.S. cloud environment. It was developed by CFIUS and cost the company approximately $1.5 billion to implement.

Chew has argued that TikTok is not beholden to any one country, though executives in the past have admitted that Chinese officials had access to Americans' data even when U.S.-based TikTok officials did not.

TikTok claims that the new initiative keeps U.S. user data safe, and told Fox News Digital that data is managed "by Americans, in America."

But Moolenaar says that even "Project Texas" "really is not enough." 

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"When you consider that ByteDance is affiliated with the CCP, and they call the shots for TikTok, the TikTok algorithm is very different in the U.S. than it is in China," he explained. "There needs to be a divestment, and we need to know either an American company or a company affiliated with like-minded nations, friendly nations, not adversarial nations, is in charge of this app." 

He added: "Only that will satisfy the law and protect our national security." 

Moolenaar said that, until now, the Chinese Communist Party "didn’t have a reason to allow the sale of TikTok." 

"But that has changed, and President Trump knows from experience that the only language the CCP speaks is hardball," Moolenaar said. "He is an incredible negotiator, and our legislation is giving him the leverage he needs to make this historic deal." 

Yet, Trump has signaled support for TikTok. Earlier this month, he met with Chew at Mar-a-Lago, telling reporters during a press conference ahead of the meeting that his incoming administration will "take a look at TikTok" and the looming U.S. ban.

"I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok," Trump told reporters.

Panama's president has responded to President-elect Trump's idea that his new administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal.

After Trump said Sunday that the United States "foolishly gave it away" and is now "being ripped off" at the waterway, Panama's conservative President José Raúl Mulino released a video declaring that "every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and will continue to belong" to his country.

Without mentioning Trump by name, Mulino addressed Trump's complaints over rising fees for ships crossing the canal, saying they are set by experts who take into account operational costs, and supply and demand factors.

"The tariffs are not set on a whim," Mulino said. He noted that Panama has expanded the canal over the years to increase ship traffic "on its own initiative," and added that shipping fee increases help pay for improvements.

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"Panamanians may have different views on many issues," Mulino said. "But when it comes to our canal, and our sovereignty, we will all unite under our Panamanian flag."

Trump then took to his social media site to offer in response, "We'll see about that!" He also posted a picture of a U.S. flag planted in the canal zone under the phrase, "Welcome to the United States Canal!"

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Trump had previously addressed the canal in a Saturday Truth Social post, where he complained at length about the fees levied on U.S. ships going through the Big Ditch. The Panama Canal's tolls can range from three to six figures depending on how large a vessel is and how much cargo it carries, with the largest ships being charged as much as $500,000.

The United States built the canal in the early 1900s as it looked for ways to facilitate the transit of commercial and military vessels between its coasts. Washington relinquished control of the waterway to Panama on Dec. 31, 1999, under a treaty signed in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter.

The canal depends on reservoirs to operate its locks and was heavily affected by 2023 Central American drought that forced it to substantially reduce the number of daily slots for crossing ships. With fewer ships using the canal each day, administrators also increased the fees that are charged all shippers for reserving a slot.

With the weather returning to normal in the later months of this year, transit on the canal has normalized, but price increases are still expected for next year.

Fox News' Andrea Margolis and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, experienced a "very rapid" decline since moving into a retirement facility, her son said, after it was discovered over the weekend that the congresswoman had been absent from her duties in the Capitol for nearly six months.

Brandon Granger told the New York Post that his mother made the decision to move into the retirement community on her own, though she has since shown signs of dementia over the past three months.

The 81-year-old congresswoman, who did not seek re-election and is retiring at the end of this congressional term, has largely remained absent from the Capitol in recent months, having last cast votes on July 24. She was not present for over 54% of votes this year.

Granger’s absence was first reported by the Dallas Express on Friday in a piece that quoted a constituent of her district who said that Granger was residing in a memory care facility in Texas.

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A source in Granger’s office spoke to Fox News on Sunday, denying that the congresswoman was in the facility’s memory care unit. The source said Granger was residing in the retirement facility where memory care is provided, though not in the memory care unit itself.

Brandon Granger excoriated the reports that said his mother was in the memory care unit after she was found wandering as "a load of bulls–t."

"They have a memory care facility there, but she’s in [an] independent living facility," Brandon Granger told The Post. "It’s a nice condo. I helped her move in." 

Brandon Granger added that his mother’s decline has been "very rapid and very difficult," though he did not say whether she had received treatment at the memory facility, the Post reported.

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Granger released a statement Sunday saying that she has faced "health challenges" and is "deeply grateful for the outpouring of care and concern" over the weekend.

"As many of my family, friends, and colleagues have known, I have been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year," Granger said in the statement. "However, since early September, my health challenges have progressed making frequent travel to Washington both difficult and unpredictable. During this time, my incredible staff has remained steadfast, continuing to deliver exceptional constituent services, as they have for the past 27 years."

While Granger appears to not have cast a vote since July, she did return to the Capitol in November for the unveiling of her portrait as Appropriations Committee Chairwoman, and a reception that followed. House Speaker Johnson, R-La., and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., were both present at the event.

Granger has served in the House since 1997. She previously served as the first female mayor of Fort Worth, Texas.

Republican congressman-elect Craig Goldman will succeed Granger in January.

Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), a conservative-leaning ethics watchdog, released a year-end round up of 2024's worst ethics violations committed by public officials that the group investigated this year.

The theme for this year's report was ethics violations tied to efforts to win elected office. The violations ranged from failures to disclose financial information and violations of federal contribution limits, to "blatant" Hatch Act violations and officials seemingly using campaign funds for their own personal pleasure. 

FACT is a nonprofit based in the nation's capital that was formed in 2014, and describes itself as "dedicated to promoting accountability, ethics, and transparency in government and civic arenas." At the end of each year, the watchdog unveils its top ten worst violators.

‘COMPLETE INACTION’: CONGRESSIONAL ETHICS VIOLATORS OF 2023 HAVE YET TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE, WATCHDOG SAYS

"It is important to note the alarming detail that there is not one particular ethics rule implicated among them, rather they cover a wide variety of fronts, including the laws enforced by the Office of Special Counsel, the Federal Election Commission, and the Office of Congressional Ethics," the 2024 report states. "It’s clear these top violators too often prioritize themselves over serving their constituents."

READ THE REPORT – APP USERS, CLICK HERE:

One of the examples FACT cited involved Wisconsin Democratic member of Congress, Gwen Moore, whose political action committee under her control spent 94.8% of its funds on things like food and travel, such as catering, food delivery, restaurants, hotels, a resort in California's wine country and alcohol, according to the report. 

The report said that Moore's leadership PAC spent almost eight-times more on this than it did on its required purpose of supporting candidates.

Moore ultimately beat her GOP challenger in November by a wide margin, keeping her in control of the Milwaukee-area congressional district. The congresswoman's office did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. 

Two other violations from the report included Hatch Act violations. The Hatch Act is aimed at ensuring that the government functions in a nonpartisan manner and bars certain public officials from engaging in political activities while they are on duty. 

FACT's report charged President Joe Biden's Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Xavier Becerra, with sending "a blatant political email," two months before November's election, which was described in a media report at the time as "a sales pitch for Kamala Harris."

‘WILLFUL COVERUP’: DEMOCRAT IN KEY HOUSE RACE HIT WITH ETHICS COMPLAINT THAT COULD DERAIL CAMPAIGN

The official email from HHS was sent to people who signed up to receive updates on the government's Medicare program, which means it could have reached up to 67.5 million recipients, according to FACT. While the email did not directly say "vote for Harris," it lauded Harris for casting a tie-breaking vote on the Inflation Reduction Act, noting that the move from Harris served to lower healthcare costs.

HHS did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. 

Other ethics violations included in FACT's round-up were several instances of misused or misrepresented campaign funds. 

The report highlighted outgoing Maryland Democratic Rep. David Trone, who earned backlash during this year's election cycle for allegedly funding his campaign with money earned through his Total Wine empire despite claiming he had stepped away from his family's wine business after being elected to Congress in 2018. Trone, who left the House to run for Maryland's open Senate seat this year – losing in the primary – failed to disclose his interest in numerous Total Wine franchises in the lead up to the election, the report alleged. 

Representatives for Trone did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

The report also claims that Rep.-elect Eugene Vindman, who recently took over Virginia's seventh congressional district with a win last month, received campaign contributions significantly exceeding those allowed under federal law. VoteVets PAC, a political action committee supporting left-leaning veterans running for Congress, was reportedly engaging in illegal campaign work for Vindman's campaign by acting as their press liaison.

Vindman's campaign manager did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. 

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Together, all of these examples and more lay out what FACT's Executive Director Kendra Arnold called "a preview" of what elected officials are like when nobody is looking. 

"We uncover and file complaints on all types of ethics violations, but this year the ones committed in the campaign stage unfortunately stood out," Arnold told Fox News Digital. "Of all the types of violations it could easily be argued that those committed to get into office are among the very worst."

Nebraska's Republican Gov. Jim Pillen was injured and transported to a hospital on Sunday after he was bucked off a horse.

Pillen, 68, is expected to be hospitalized for several days.

The first-term governor was riding horses with his family when he was thrown off a new horse and suffered injuries, according to the governor's office.

ILLEGAL MIGRANTS IN NEBRASKA TOWN BRINGING 'STRESS' TO SCHOOLS, PUBLIC SAFETY

Pillen was rushed to Columbus Community Hospital in Columbus, Nebraska, before he was transported, out of an abundance of caution, to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

"The Governor is alert and is in continuous touch with his team," Pillen's office said.

DRONE MISHAP DURING ORLANDO HOLIDAY AERIAL SHOW SENDS CHILD TO HOSPITAL

Pillen's office did not detail what injuries he suffered or the severity.

The GOP governor was elected in 2022, running in the gubernatorial election that year because former Gov. Pete Ricketts, also a Republican, was term-limited. 

Pillen then appointed Ricketts to the U.S. Senate to fill the seat vacated by former Republican Sen. Ben Sasse, who resigned in 2023 to become president of the University of Florida. Sasse has since stepped down as the university's president.

Pillen worked as a veterinarian and owned a livestock operation before he was elected as governor.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, has ordered the firing of more than a dozen prison staffers in connection with the fatal beating of an inmate earlier this month.

Hochul said in a statement Saturday that she has directed the state's corrections department commissioner to begin the process of terminating 14 workers involved in a Dec. 9 incident at the Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County that led to 43-year-old Robert Brooks' death the following day at a hospital.

Brooks had been in prison since 2017 and was serving a 12-year sentence for first-degree assault.

The governor's office said the decision came after an internal review, but did not offer details on the circumstances leading up to Brooks' death.

HOCHUL SLAMMED FOR SAYING SHE'S MADE SUBWAYS SAFER ON SAME DAY WOMAN BURNED ALIVE ON TRAIN

"The vast majority of correction officers do extraordinary work under difficult circumstances, and we are all grateful for their service," Hochul said. "But we have no tolerance for individuals who cross the line, break the law and engage in unnecessary violence or targeted abuse."

The corrections department provided a list of 13 employees, including corrections officers, sergeants and a nurse who have been suspended without pay. It also included another corrections officer who resigned.

State Department of Corrections Commissioner Daniel Martuscello III condemned the staffers' involvement and said the suspensions are "in the best interest of the agency and the communities we serve."

LOUISIANA PRISONS ROUTINELY HOLD INMATES PAST THEIR RELEASE DATE, JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ARGUES

"There is no place for brutality in our department and we will vigorously pursue justice against the individuals who committed this senseless act," he said in a statement to The Associated Press. "These investigations are ongoing and additional suspensions may be issued."

Brooks' family said in a statement from their lawyer that they are "incredibly shocked and saddened" about the death, according to The Times-Union in Albany.

"We are grateful that Gov. Hochul is taking swift action to hold officers accountable, but we cannot understand how this could have happened in the first place," the family said. "No one should have to lose a family member this way."

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State Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, said her office is also investigating the use of force by corrections officers that led to Brooks' death. She said her staff has obtained video of the incident and it will be made public after Brooks' family has seen it.

"Law enforcement professionals must be held to the highest standards of accountability, and I am committed to providing New Yorkers with the transparency they deserve," James said in a statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

President Biden is commuting the sentences of nearly all the inmates on federal death row, a move that comes not even two weeks after he went through with the "largest single-day grant of clemency" in American history, the White House announced Monday.

Of the 40 inmates on federal death row, according to DeathPenaltyInfo.org, Biden is commuting 37 men sentenced to death, reclassifying their sentences to life without the possibility of parole.

The three inmates not included are: Robert Bowers, who is responsible for the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018, which left 11 people dead; Dylann Roof, a White supremacist who killed nine Black parishioners at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015; and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who worked with his now-dead brother to perpetuate the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people and injured hundreds.

BIDEN SETS RECORD WITH FIRST-TERM CLEMENCY GRANTS, HERE'S HOW OTHER PRESIDENTS RANK

The men being resentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole are convicted of various murderous acts against one person or multiple. Among the victims of the 37 men are law enforcement officers, children and other inmates.

A handful of the men on death row were also set to be executed with their co-defendants.

Biden, who only supports the death penalty at the federal level for "terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder," said this move will prevent President-elect Donald Trump's administration from "carrying out the execution sentences that would not be handed down under current policy and practice," according to the White House statement.

The president declared a moratorium on federal executions after taking office in 2021.

TRUMP EXECUTION RESTART TO PUT BOSTON MARATHON BOMBER, CHARLESTON CHURCH SHOOTER, MORE KILLERS IN HOT SEAT

The convicted murderers who will now escape execution include: Marcivicci Barnette, who killed a man in a carjacking and his ex-girlfriend; co-defendants Brandon Basham and Chadrick Fulks, who kidnapped and killed a woman after escaping prison; Anthony Battle, who killed a prison guard; Jason Brown, who stabbed a postal worker to death; Thomas Hager, who committed a drug-related killing; David Runyon, who participated in the murder-for-hire plot of a Naval officer; Thomas Sanders, who kidnapped and killed a 12-year-old girl; Rejon Taylor, who carjacked, kidnapped and killed a restaurant owner; and Alejandro Umana, who killed two brothers inside a restaurant.

Two men were on death row for the murders of witnesses: police officer Len Davis, who ordered the murder of a witness who was part of an investigation into a misconduct complaint against him, and Ronald Mikos, who killed a federal grand jury witness in a Medicare fraud investigation.

Ex-Marine Jorge Torrez was set to be executed for killing another servicemember.

The list also includes men who committed deadly bank robberies, such as co-defendants Billie Allen and Norris Holder, who killed a bank guard during their crime; Brandon Council, who killed two bank employees; and Daryl Lawrence, who killed a special-duty police officer during an attempted bank robbery.

BIDEN COMMUTES 1,500 JAIL SENTENCES, GRANTS PARDONS FOR 39 OTHERS: 'LARGEST SINGLE-DAY GRANT OF CLEMENCY'

Co-defendants James Roane, Jr., and Richard Tipton committed a series of drug-related murders as gang members with Corey Johnson, who was executed in 2021. 

Julius Robinson killed two people over drugs, and so did co-defendants Ricardo Sanchez, Jr., and Daniel Troya, who killed a family, including two children.

Drug lord Kaboni Savage murdered or directed someone else to murder 12 people during a 16-year period – including an arson that killed six members of a federal informant's family.

Edward Fields was on death row for murdering two campers on federal land, while Marvin Gabrion and Richard Jackson were both there for killing a woman on federal land in separate cases.

Co-defendants Jurijus Kadamovas and Iouri Mikhel were convicted of kidnapping and killing five Russian and Georgian immigrants for ransom.

Lastly, the following men were sentenced to death in various cases for killing a prisoner in federal prison: Shannon Agofsky, Carlos Caro, co-defendants Wesley Coonce and Charles Hall, co-defendants Christopher Cramer and Ricky Fackrell, Joseph Ebron and co-defendants Edgar Garcia and Mark Snarr.

Monday's commutations join Biden's list of similar moves during his presidency, which have sparked mixed reactions from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and have outpaced any president in modern history when compared to length of service.

Biden faced criticism earlier this month when he commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 prisoners placed in home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic and pardoned 40 others, including his son, Hunter.

As of Dec. 13, Biden has pardoned a total of 65 individuals and commuted sentences for 1,634 inmates during his time as president, according to the Department of Justice.

"The President has issued more sentence commutations at this point in his presidency than any of his recent predecessors at the same point in their first terms," White House officials said in a previous statement.

PRO-TRUMP PRISON WARDEN ASKS BIDEN TO COMMUTE ALL DEATH SENTENCES BEFORE LEAVING

Various groups and people, including former corrections officials, praised Biden's decision ahead of the public announcement, calling him "courageous" and thanking him for sending a "strong message."

Biden was urged by 28 former corrections officials in a letter to commute sentences on federal death row for the safety of federal correctional professionals who participate in executions.

"President Biden has made a courageous decision that will benefit many within the federal Bureau of Prisons. Resources can be allocated more rationally, and staff will not face the harm of participating in executions any time soon. I hope state leaders follow suit, for the benefit of their own correctional staff," said Justin Jones, the former Director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, was also among those who issued a statement, saying, in part, that this decision "marks an important turning point" and sends a "strong message to Americans that the death penalty is not the answer to our country's concerns about public safety."

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Biden said he does condemn the murderers and their "despicable acts," and he grieves for the victims and families who have suffered "unimaginable and irreparable loss," but he "cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted," according to the White House statement.

It also said Biden will use the last few weeks of his presidency to "provide meaningful second chances" and "review additional pardons and commutations."

The fall of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad was the crescendo of a remarkably bad year for the Iranian regime. 

The Islamic Republic suffered major blows in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, diminishing the power of its so-called Axis of Resistance. Its currency officially became the lowest valued in the world and when Israel decimated its proxy forces, the U.S. elected a president whom Iran so despises that it spent years trying to assassinate him. 

Here’s a look back at blows suffered by Ayatollah Ali Khameini and his regime over the past year: 

In April, Israel bombed the Iranian embassy in Syria, prompting Iran to strike back with more than 300 drones and missiles aimed into Israel. But Israel worked with the U.S., Jordan and Saudi Arabia to shoot down nearly every missile and drone. 

The late Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash while visiting a remote area. Iran has blamed the crash on dense fog. Raisi was a protégé and potential successor of Iran’s supreme leader, Khameini. 

While Iran inaugurated a new president this summer, Israel infiltrated to take out Hamas commander Ismail Haniyeh while he was visiting Tehran for the inauguration. While Haniyeh was staying in a VIP government guest house, Israel detonated a remote-controlled bomb. 

TRUMP TANGLES WITH REPORTER ON IRAN PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKE: 'IS THAT A SERIOUS QUESTION?'

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) took out Hamas head Yahya Sinwar after encountering him on a routine patrol in the Gaza city of Rafah. Sinwar was the mastermind behind the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel and was one of the most wanted men of the war. 

Hamas has lost thousands of fighters and much of its leadership ranks to Israel’s attacks and is nowhere near the threatening force on Israel’s borders Iran hoped it would be. 

Iran’s currency tanked to an all-time low upon news of the Trump election, and the expectation that he might bring back a "maximum pressure" policy. 

The Iranian rial is down 46% this year, making it officially the least-valuable currency in the world.

Iran has long vowed revenge for Trump approving the 2019 killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani – and U.S. intelligence revealed Tehran plots to kill the president-elect. 

After the Trump administration pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, it imposed harsh sanctions on the regime to stop its funding of proxies abroad, banning U.S. citizens from trading with Iran or handling Iranian money. 

It also punished entities in other countries that did business with Iran, by cutting them off from the dollar. 

TENSIONS BETWEEN ISRAEL AND TURKEY ESCALATE OVER SYRIA: 'IT’S TIME TO PAY ATTENTION'

President Joe Biden often waived enforcement of such sanctions, keen to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons and fearful of driving up global oil prices. 

Iran gained access to more than $10 billion through a State Department sanctions waiver that allowed Iraq to continue buying energy from Iran, which the Biden administration argues is necessary to keep lights on in Baghdad.  

In the fall, Israel reoriented much of its efforts toward pummeling Hezbollah after a series of cross-border attacks from the Lebanese militant group. Israel targeted Hezbollah’s leadership and detonated hundreds of pagers the group had been using to communicate. At the end of November, Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire where it and Israel must both end their armed presences in southern Lebanon. 

Both sides have claimed the other has broken the fragile truce, but it has ostensibly held for weeks.  

Syrian rebels sent Iran's Quds forces, an extension of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, running as they captured Damascus and pushed out President Bashar al-Assad. Iran's forces had been in Syria propping up Assad since civil war broke out in 2011, but had been diminished since the outbreak of war elsewhere in the Middle East. 

Syria's new government is set to be run by Sunni Muslims, hostile to Iran's Shiite government. And Iran lost a key supply line through Syria it had used to arm Hezbollah in its fight against Israel.